Story by Memory Chamisa
THE Government is putting in place various measures to end violence against women and girls.
This emerged at a stakeholder meeting on the African Union Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls in Harare this Monday.
The African Union Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls is a comprehensive legal instrument for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women.
It is currently at the drafting stage through consultation with various stakeholders and the citizenry with Zimbabwe going through the articles this Monday ahead of the presentation in Addis Ababa next week.
“As an organisation we felt it was important for us to come and be part of this significant discussion which feeds into our line of work thus ending gender-based violence against women and girls including men and boys.
“The Convention has to be inclusive and dovetail with situations happening in different countries, what is happening in Zimbabwe is not the same in Ghana or Kenya so it has to be inclusive,” said one stakeholder at the meeting
“We are happy the Government has brought us together for this meeting to deliberate on issues bedevilling countries on GBV and how best as a country, Africa can deal with it,” contributed another stakeholder.
“It is imperative that when we go through the articles of the draft we take into consideration resources and funding, yes we may come up with ideas, programmes but without funding, we cannot implement so as we go through the draft it is imperative that we also look for resources towards GBV fight.”
The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Permanent Secretary Dr Mavis Sibanda highlighted the significance of accelerating action to sustainably address and end the social ill.
“This initiative represents a significant step forward in our collective continental efforts to combat violence against women and girls. We applaud the African Union Heads of States for their wisdom in calling for the development of our own African continent’s home-grown convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.
“Indeed, a home-grown African Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls is not just a necessity, it is an opportunity to create a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of women and girls across our continent.
“There is therefore a need to join forces with our fellow African nations to shape a guiding instrument that effectively addresses GBV. The Ministry will therefore participate in the negotiation processes on the development of this convention at the African Union Headquarters next week,” she said.
Violence against women and girls is a pervasive global issue that knows no boundaries, affecting individuals across age groups and social strata.
From physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, its impact hinders the realisation of their full potential and perpetuates inequality and discrimination.
